Skullduggery
by Light Within Darkness
Summary: Even hated the marketplace. So what could be worse than being forced to shop there? That man with the weird hair trying to win his affections, of course. MarVex of sorts, AR, Apprenticeverse. Rated for language. GiftFic! for Dlbn.


**Author's Note****: Well, I took a look at my account earlier this month, and realized that I had no MarVex in it. This was something that I obviously had to remedy, you understand, and quickly. The perfect occasion to write one was there as well, because it was **Krystal's **birthday coming up. So I told her I'd write her a MarVex, since she was born in the month of Marluxia and all. ^_^ (You poor thing. But I was born in the month of Xemnas, so I guess I can't really complain either.)**

**I went back to dictionary . com for an idea for this Fic, and their Word of the Day was "skullduggery." This word expanded itself in my mind and eventually became the plot of this story, as well as the title. And with the new "Birth by Sleep" screenshots out on khinsider . com (head on over to look if you haven't already, there's one of Ienzo in there!) I've been all about the Apprentices lately. So the story's really only a sort-of MarVex, because Marluxia and Vexen aren't Nobodies yet. Oh well.**

**DEDICATION****: For **Krystal**, of course. Happy (now very belated) birthday, my dear! BIG HUGS and chibi Zexions, just for you.**

**DISCLAIMER****: "Kingdom Hearts" belongs to Squeenix, Disney, Inc., and Tetsuya Nomura. I own naught but a Sora plushy.**

**Okay, I'm done babbling now. Here's the Fic!**

**Skullduggery**

_Skullduggery (n.):_ _Devious, dishonest, or unscrupulous behavior or activity; also: an instance thereof._

Even hated having to go to the marketplace.

The marketplace was loud, smelly, obnoxiously colorful, and filled with all sorts of rude people who shoved you around in their hurry to get from one stall to the next, shouting and haggling with the shopkeepers right into your ear. And the shopkeepers themselves weren't much better, hawking their wares right into your face and making rude hand gestures at your back if, heavens forbid, you didn't buy anything from them.

Even tried to avoid going to the marketplace whenever he could help it. Often his fellow apprentices Braig and Dilan would go on weekends, Dilan to get supplies for their experiments and Braig tagging along to shamelessly flirt with women. Recently Aeleus and Ienzo had been going as well, since no one really wanted to be alone in the labs with Xehanort right now. Xehanort was doing some sort of special research on hearts for Master Ansem, and spent much of his time in there twitching and muttering to himself about "darkness." Everyone had decided to leave him alone until he was finished. Amnesiacs, after all, could be quite unpredictable. And although Xehanort was normally quite easy to get along with, he could get a little odd over big experiments and research. This meant that Even spent his weekends doing research in the library, avoiding the labs if he could at all help it.

But today, of course, had started out horrible and promised to keep on being that way until Even went back to bed that night. Xehanort had woken him up at six in the morning, running around the corridors yelling "DARKNESS! THE DARKNESS OF THE HEART IS SUPREME!" Braig, Dilan, and Aeleus had taken one look at him and decided to spend the day training outside. Ienzo decided to watch them. Even hated training, as Dilan seemed to like bruising people's necks with his spear, Braig got trigger happy after about three seconds, and getting anywhere near Aeleus meant becoming the burly man's personal punching bag, something Ienzo found immensely entertaining.

So Even went to the library, grumbling under his breath all the while about losing three days this week of time in the labs. He'd just picked a few books on quantum mechanics off the shelves and settled down to take notes when a loud crash from the direction of the laboratories caused him to jump so badly that he fell out of his chair.

Picking himself up and dusting off his pristine white lab coat, Even poked his head through the little door that connected the library with the labs. He hoped against hope that whatever had caused that awful noise hadn't been too bad. Perhaps only a beaker had fallen off a table or something. A really big beaker.

What Even saw instead was nothing short of utter destruction and carnage.

An entire table of what had formerly been glass beakers, test tubes, vials, droppers, and apparatuses now lay smashed around the lab floor, the glass shards glittering like so many diamonds. Jutting out of the opposite wall from the mess was what Even recognized as one of Dilan's blue spears. Lying on the floor next to it was one of the elaborately stylized silver arrows that could only have come from Braig's guns. And standing amongst the wreckage was none other than Xehanort, his formerly spotless white coat splattered with chemicals and bits of glass, one orange-amber eye twitching slightly.

Even could only stare, speechless, at what formerly was their best laboratory equipment. Only a few minutes later though, Braig came bursting through the door, closely followed by Dilan, who gulped audibly at seeing the incriminating weapons lying in plain sight. Aeleus came in seconds afterward, his bulk pushing everyone further into the labs by a few feet. Ienzo was the last to arrive, being the smallest and the worst runner, and the boy went so pale upon seeing what remained of his beloved lab equipment that Even started to worry that he'd faint.

Braig, as usual, was the first to speak. "Oh _shit_," the gunman hissed through his teeth. "Master Ansem's gonna _kill _us. Shit shit shit shit shit…"

Even suddenly found his voice. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU IDIOTS DO?" He found himself yelling all of a sudden, dropping to his knees amid the sound of crunching glass. "The lab…our beautiful lab…" he was actually whimpering now. Oh, Braig and Dilan had gone too far this time.

"Dude, it wasn't our fault!" Braig cried. "Dilan threw a spear at me, but the wind caught it and it started to go towards the window. I tried to intercept it by shooting at it, but…I guess that didn't work." He chuckled nervously.

"Alright, everyone, just calm down," Dilan cut in. He and Braig looked significantly at each other, and Even suddenly felt something soft yet oddly firm being pressed into his hand. Glancing down at it with cold green eyes, he saw that the object he'd been given was a leather pouch filled with munny.

"It's my 'In Case of Emergencies' fund," Dilan explained. "And if this isn't an emergency, then I don't know what is. You need to go down to the marketplace and buy new glassware, Even. Quickly, before Master Ansem returns from his visit to the Great Maw."

"But…but…" Even stuttered, at a sudden loss for words. He couldn't believe Dilan was making him go buy new supplies, when it had been Dilan's and Braig's fault that everything was broken in the first place! "I _hate _the marketplace!" He finally burst out. "Why can't you and Braig go? This whole situation was _your _fault, after all."

"Dude, we're all hot and sweaty from training!" Braig protested, waving his arms in the air to show off the sweat stains on his tunic. Everyone present, including Xehanort, wrinkled their noses in disgust. "You _never_ go down to the marketplace. C'mon, it won't kill you to go this one time."

Even helplessly looked to Aeleus, Ienzo, and Xehanort for help. Aeleus simply blinked at him and shrugged, apparently not considering the situation important enough to speak on. Xehanort shot him a "better you than me" look. Actually, Even mused, since Xehanort currently seemed unable to think on anything beyond his heart experiments right now, he would probably either come back from the marketplace empty-handed and/or escorted by the castle guards. Ienzo still looked ghostly pale and was gazing at the broken lab equipment as if it was the remains of his beloved first puppy.

"All right," Even muttered, getting to his feet. "I'll go. But mark my words, I _am not happy about this_." He shot Braig and Dilan what he hoped was a Very Menacing Glare as he left the laboratories.

"Thanks, Even! We owe you one!" Braig waved him off, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face.

"We'll kick Xehanort out and give you some time alone in the labs when you get back. Promise!" Dilan called down the stairs after him.

"Excuse me! I'm very close to a breakthrough here, Dilan! Only a little longer and I'll be able to finally discover the true source of ALL DARKNESS…"

Still muttering to himself about being surrounded by little more than gibbering imbeciles, Even was outside and at the castle gates by the time he noticed that Ienzo was following him. Since he was the youngest and smallest, Ienzo was also the sneakiest of the group, much to Even's-and everyone else's-annoyance.

"Why do you want to go to the marketplace, Ienzo?" Even quirked a blond brow at the smaller boy. "Surely you don't doubt my abilities to purchase new equipment?"

"No," Ienzo said. "Tomorrow is Aeleus's birthday. I wanted to cook him something special for dinner. Aeleus likes my cooking."

"Aeleus's birthday is tomorrow?" Forever absorbed in his work, Even was constantly forgetting things like birthdays and holidays. Last year, in the middle of an important project, he'd forgotten his own birthday and had nearly had a heart attack when he returned to his room to find his fellow apprentices holding a cake and shouting "SURPRISE!"

Ienzo rolled the turquoise eye that wasn't hidden by his long, silvery bangs. "Let's just go," he said, leading the way out the gate and down the path to the town square.

"Well, we'll all certainly appreciate your cooking, anyway," Even said as he followed the boy out. Ienzo could cook better than any of Ansem the Wise's servants at the castle, but he was just as hard and dedicated a worker as Even was. Everyone enjoyed the times when the youngest apprentice dragged himself away from the library long enough to cook for them.

* * *

The marketplace was, unfortunately, just as Even remembered it-loud, busy, and obnoxious. The blond wrinkled his nose at the range of smells assaulting his nose, from the delicate scent of flowers being sold at the stall to his left to the smell of fishy decay from what looked like octopus tentacles being sold at the stall to his right.

Even grabbed Ienzo's hand so the boy wouldn't get lost in the crowds swarming around them. As well as being the youngest, Ienzo also only came up to Even's waist in height, so all the older apprentices took it upon themselves to take care of him in situations where he could get hurt easily. The two apprentices started making their way around the stalls, trying to find a glassmaker.

After what seemed like forever, Even felt he was losing what remained of his sanity. He'd been nearly knocked over numerous times by people rushing to and fro around the square, and been called names not fit to print by an old woman who thought he'd upset her basket of herbs. Finally, though, he found a man who peddled hand-blown glass items, his stall tucked into a corner of the square behind a vegetable seller's.

Even, with some help from Ienzo, rattled off the lab items that had been broken to the stall's owner. "I don't suppose you can make all of these things for me?" He asked the glassblower. "I need them all today."

The small man's face practically lit up at getting such a large order. "Why, of course! That's no trouble at all," he cried, bowing so low to the two apprentices that his nose was practically scraping the cobblestones. "My business has been a bit slow lately, and I have plenty of time today to work on-"

"Excuse me, my good sir." A voice cut smoothly through the glassblower's chatter. "I was wondering if I might inquire as to the price of these exquisite glass flowers here."

Annoyed at someone interrupting what he hoped would be a quick exchange, Even angrily looked up, mouth opening so he could give whoever had just shown up a piece of his mind. The second he got a look at who had arrived, though, whatever he was about to say slipped from his mind faster than a fish through water. His mouth snapped shut.

The person standing in front of them now was like no one Even had ever seen before, and he believed he'd seen everything after all his years living with Ansem the Wise. The man had a smooth, heart-shaped face surrounded by a mass of shoulder-length, wavy pink hair. His body was lithe and muscular, dressed in flamboyant robes of gold, scarlet, and forest green. But his most captivating feature was his eyes. A deep, midnight blue, they were the kind of eyes that would draw in and hold anyone foolish enough to look at them for too long. Even felt as if he was drowning in them now, falling into endless sapphire pools…

"Well, hello there, sexy thing," the mysterious man purred, leaning towards the blond apprentice and looking him up and down in a way that made Even feel as if he was being undressed right then and there. The very thought made a fresh wave of anger course through him, breaking whatever strange spell the man's eyes had cast.

Ienzo started looking around them to see whom the man had been talking to. Then, seeing that the stranger's gaze were fixed firmly on Even, he went red in the face trying to stifle his laughter.

"What's your name?" The pink haired man went on. "Or can I just call you my sexy angel?"

A tic started to pulse violently in Even's left temple. "Go away. Who do you think you are, harassing me like this?" He hissed, turning back to the glassblower to make sure the new glassware was getting started on.

"Oh, but I couldn't leave just yet! I need your opinion on something," the man said, and Even found a glass rose being shoved into his face. "What do you think of these lovely roses? I saw them, and I thought that the craftsmanship was simply exquisite. I absolutely _had_ to get them. You understand, of course?"

The really strange thing was that Even did understand. The way the sunlight gleamed off the glass rose, making it sparkle like a jewel, combined with the precise cutting of the petals and leaves reminded him very much of ice. Even had always loved the winter. Since Braig and Dilan couldn't go outside and train in the cold, the time they didn't spend in the labs was spent lounging around the castle getting on everybody's nerves. This meant that Even spent a lot of time outside, wandering among the castle grounds and admiring the way the snow and ice lay like a blanket over everything, transforming the perfectly manicured lawns into a pale, crystalline wonderland. Often he got lost in staring at the frozen gardens, only heading back inside when the cold made his fingers and toes sting.

"Well? I'm sure a man of your fine looks could tell me whether these are worth buying or not," the stranger prompted, snapping Even out of his reverie. A pink tongue slipped out to lick at equally pink and perfect lips almost obscenely, blue eyes still fixed on Even.

"They're…nice, I suppose," Even muttered, refusing to tell this rude man who had swept in and unnerved him so just what his potential purchase made him think of. He turned back to the glassblower, trying to suppress a shudder. "I'll be back in three hours to pay for my order. Is this acceptable?"

The glassblower opened his mouth to protest, intending to say that he only started work on a project after receiving his munny, but upon seeing the fury in Even's cold green eyes, he simply shut his mouth and nodded. The small man could only stare as the blond apprentice stormed off, dragging Ienzo along behind him.

* * *

"That man at the glassblower's stall was strange," Ienzo said. He and Even were sitting on a low stone wall a short distance from the marketplace, waiting for the glassware to be finished. "I mean, didn't you think the way he spoke to you was odd? He was dressed like a nobleman, but had manners worse than a commoner's."

Even snorted, waving his hand as if shooing away a fly. "What does it matter? He was only a minor inconvenience. Odds are I'll never see him again."

Inwardly, though, Even was still trembling. It was as if the stranger had swept into his very being and broken him up inside like so much glassware, leaving him breathless and spinning. He couldn't seem to think of anything else. That perfect face of his kept floating through the blond's mind, accompanied by deep blue eyes more perfect than any jewel. Even wondered what it would be like for those lips to touch his, for that oddly colored hair to tickle his face as the man leant towards him, those full lips parted…

_No! Stop it. Bad Even. Don't think things like that. You are not attracted to that…that scoundrel,_ Even thought, shaking his head slightly to try and dislodge said scoundrel's image from his brain. _He's nothing but a rude imbecile you had the misfortune to meet. There's no point in thinking about those waves in his hair…or that twinkle to his eyes…_

Even groaned slightly and face-palmed.

"Are you sure you're all right, Even?" Ienzo asked, peering at him curiously.

"Fine. Don't worry about me. Just…what time is it?"

Ienzo consulted his pocket watch. "Still another hour and a half until we need to go back for the glassware."

Even groaned again, louder this time, his head meeting his knees with a soft _thunk_.

"You know, that man also had the oddest hair color. I've never seen someone with pink hair before…"

"Ienzo. Please," Even interrupted. "Enough about the man at the glassblower's. And _you're_ certainly not one to talk about oddly colored hair, of course." He lifted his head from his lap, rolling his eyes at the boy sitting next to him.

The smaller apprentice huffed, blowing away a few loose strands of silvery hair. "There's nothing wrong with my hair," he muttered.

* * *

"Myde!" A man dressed in lavish robes pushed his way through the crowds at the marketplace, not sparing a glance to the people giving him rude looks as he made his way along. "Myde! Where are you?"

Spinning around in a slow circle, the man's deep blue eyes scanned each person who walked by for who he was looking for. Eventually, his face broke into a wide grin as he spotted a teenage boy sitting by a fountain near the center of town, playing an oddly shaped stringed instrument. He wore a plain tunic, trousers, and boots, and had sandy blond hair that spiked and bounced every which way about his head. A few spikes flopped into his forehead, shading blue-green eyes that were intent on his instrument.

"Myde!" He cried, rushing over to the teenager. "I've been looking all over the place for you! Listen, I need your help."

Myde nodded down at a felt hat lying on the cobblestones by his feet, which was half-filled with bright yellow orbs of munny. His fingers never once paused in their playing.

The blue-eyed man sighed and pulled a munny pouch from his robes. Taking a few orbs from the pouch, he tossed them into the hat at Myde's feet. "_Now_ will you help me?" He sighed, a tinge of annoyance creeping into his voice.

"Of course," said Myde, lying the stringed instrument aside and turning his attention to the man in front of him. "What can I do ya for, Lumaria?"

"I was walking around the marketplace earlier, just minding my own business…"

Myde snorted.

"Shut up, Myde. Anyway, I was just minding my own business, going to the flower-seller's to get a bunch of tulip bulbs for Mother, when who should I see but an absolutely drop-dead _gorgeous_ blond guy over by the glassblower's stall?"

"Of course." The blond teenager rolled his eyes. "Lumaria, can't you go a day without hitting on anybody?"

"Oh Myde, he was a vision, let me tell you," Lumaria sighed, absently tucking a strand of reddish pink hair behind his ear. "Tall, and thin…high cheekbones…long blond hair…fair complexion…and absolutely _amazing_ green eyes, like evergreen trees in winter…"

"Can you ever stop comparing people to plants?" Myde asked, smiling slightly.

"Oh Myde, you know how much I love plants. My whole family loves plants. It's in my blood, like how you love that guitar of yours."

"Nocturne's a _sitar_, thank you very much," said Myde, glaring at Marluxia reproachfully while reaching out a hand to possessively stroke his beloved instrument.

"Whatever." Myde looked as if he was about to argue, so Lumaria quickly got the subject back on track. "Anyway, I turned on the charm full force, used all the usual lines…and guess what he did?"

"He shot you down, didn't he." Myde pulled his sitar back into his lap and resumed playing, having long ago become used to Lumaria going on and on about his love interests.

"_He shot me down!_ Me! The living, breathing embodiment of sex and male beauty!"

"Lumaria, I'm not sure you're as great as all that…"

"Don't be stupid, Myde, of course I am. And I need your help in getting this man to feel attracted to me."

"Why?" Myde again stopped playing and turned to face the older man. "Why is he so special? Whenever someone hasn't been interested before, you just move right on to the next person without even skipping a beat. Why are you hung up on this guy all of a sudden?"

"I'm…not quite sure, actually," Lumaria muttered, lowering his eyes to the cobblestones. "It was just something about him, I guess. The way he carried himself maybe, or the look in his eye when he told me to go away. But I get this warm feeling in my chest and stomach, like I'm filled up with flower petals on a warm summer's day, every time I think about him. It's like the world's a better place just because he's in it. And I've never wanted anyone as badly as I want him. It's…it's like I need him, Myde."

"Aww, Lumaria," Myde said, his fingers again pausing on the sitar to smile up at Lumaria. "That's love you're feeling."

"Really? Love?"

"Yep."

"Are you sure?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Love…" The pink haired man looked up into the bright blue sky, a huge smile spreading over his face as he considered the blond teenager's words. "Love."

"So did you have any ideas for how to win this special guy over, or were you just planning on my natural charm to do it for you?" Myde joked, bringing Lumaria back down to earth.

"Oh…oh yes! I actually did have an idea. Here's what you'll need to do…"

Lumaria leaned over and whispered into Myde's ear. As he did so, the blond's expression changed from interest, to confusion, to downright shock and horror.

"What?" He burst out when Lumaria finished. "That's the stupidest idea ever! Lumaria, there's no way I'm doing that, no way-"

"I'll buy you dinner," the taller man cut in smoothly.

Myde considered it for a moment. "Throw in a set of new strings for Nocturne here, and you've got yourself a deal."

Lumaria sighed. "_Fine_."

The sitar player grinned. "Okay, let's do it then. But this is still a really stupid idea. I don't think it's going to work."

A few seconds later, Myde found himself being hugged to death by the reddish pink haired man. "Thank you so much! I promise I'll never sneak up on you while you're taking a bath in the river again!"

"Can't…breathe…"

Lumaria let the teenager go, blushing slightly. "Oh, sorry." Then he grabbed Myde's hand, and started pulling the boy through the bustling square. "Come on, let's go!"

* * *

An hour and a half later, Even and Ienzo were making their way back through the marketplace, still being bumped and jostled from every angle as they headed back to the glassblower's stall. "You know, I'm beginning to think you may be right about the marketplace being annoying," Ienzo said, glaring reproachfully at a woman whose very heavy shopping basket had hit him in the head. "I'm shocked at how inconsiderate all these people are."

"Of course I'm right, Ienzo," Even said, trying and failing to suppress a victorious smile. "When am I ever not right?"

"You're not right most of the time we're not working in the labs."

Even decided not to dignify that comment with a response.

Only a few minutes later, the blond was nearly knocked over by a blur of messy, sandy hair and gangly limbs. "Heavens above!" He cried, stumbling and only stopped from meeting a bloody accident on the cobblestones by Ienzo's firm grip on his arm.

"Are you OK?" The younger apprentice asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm not injured," Even muttered, straightening up. "I'm starting to think it'll be a minor miracle if we get back to the castle in one piece, though."

"You'd think he could have at least stayed to apologize," Ienzo muttered, scowling after a flash of blond hair that had rapidly disappeared into the crowd.

"Who cares? No one's hurt; it doesn't matter." Even said, gently leading the small apprentice over to the glassblower's stall. The small man beamed upon seeing the pair.

"Ah, there they are!" He cried. "I have everything you asked for all ready." The glassblower began to place beautiful new glass lab equipment on the counter in front of him, the products of three hours of hard labor. Even and Ienzo had a hard time not ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the stuff like small children at Christmas.

"That's everything, right Ienzo?" Even asked. At the boy's nod, the glassblower began to wrap the glassware in brown paper for the two apprentices to take home. Smiling broadly at the thought of finally getting to go back to the castle and relax after this horrible day, Even reached into his pants pocket for the munny pouch…

…only to find it empty.

"Uh-oh," he muttered, quickly searching his other pockets. They were empty save for a magnifying glass and a few scraps of paper he'd been scribbling notes on earlier.

"What's the problem?" Ienzo asked.

"The munny pouch isn't here!" Even cried, unable to stop a note of panic from creeping into his voice. He started scanning the cobblestones, hoping the pouch had simply slipped out of his pocket. Perhaps he'd lost it when that boy had run to him and he'd stumbled.

_Wait a minute…_

"That boy!" Even yelled to no one in particular. "I've been robbed!"

"What do you mean, 'robbed?'" Ienzo's forehead was wrinkling, as it often did when he was confused. "He couldn't have robbed you; he only knocked into you for a moment-"

"Where is he!" The blond apprentice started scanning the crowd for a hint of messy hair or gangly limbs. "I'll wring his good-for-nothing little neck…"

"I don't suppose you could take a rain check on that glassware?" Ienzo asked the glassblower sheepishly. The small man was now eyeing the two apprentices a bit nervously, wondering both if he was going to get paid and just how sane these people were.

"I'm sorry sir," the glassblower said as he started to put the glassware away below the counter. "I'm afraid I don't make enough to allow my customers that luxury. You can either come back later with munny or leave."

"Even, you idiot!" Ienzo yelled, whirling around to face the taller man. "Why didn't you just give him the money up front? Now we're really going to get it from Master Ansem!"

"I had to get away from that stranger we met earlier, Ienzo!" Even wailed, still scanning the crowd for his assailant. "He was making me so angry; I was worried I'd do something rash if I stayed any longer…"

"Well, now we'll be lucky if we get new lab equipment at all thanks to you! And stop looking for whoever bumped you; he's long gone now."

"Don't pin this all on me, it's still all Braig and Dilan's fault our old equipment's broken in the first place…"

"Excuse me!"

The two apprentices looked up to see a man striding towards them through the crowds, holding a gangly teenage boy firmly by the collar. And there was no mistaking that pink hair.

Even's eye started twitching violently.

"I believe this boy here has something that belongs to you," the man said. He reached into his robes and brought out a munny pouch, which he tossed at Even and Ienzo. Ienzo caught it, turning the familiar hand-tooled leather over in his hands in relief.

The teenage boy in the man's grip crossed his arms and pouted.

"Now." The pink haired man leaned towards Even, releasing his hold on the teenager. There was a smirk on his lips and a shine in his eyes that the blond apprentice definitely did not like. "Don't I get a reward for getting you gentlemen your munny back?"

Although this well-dressed stranger had returned their munny and thus saved all the apprentices from a long, boring lecture on respecting their things courtesy of Ansem the Wise, his manner and presumptuousness still made Even bristle. "What makes you think I owe you anything?" The blond all but snarled, drawing himself up to his full height and praying to every deity he'd ever heard of that this wouldn't end in physical violence. It was no secret, after all, that he and Ienzo were the worst at fighting out of the six apprentices. And this man definitely had more muscle on him than Even did. (Not that Even was looking though.)

"Oh, really?" The man cocked an eyebrow, smirk still in place but something hardening in those sapphire eyes. "I'm certain that whoever you live with won't be too happy that you've treated me so rudely. Do you even know who I am?"

"How did you get our munny back?"

Even turned towards Ienzo, grateful to the boy for saving him from having to make a reply. The younger apprentice was holding Dilan's munny pouch up to the pink haired man's face, the sandy haired boy standing nearby rolling his eyes at the whole scene.

_Hold on. _The still rational bit of Even's mind that wasn't consumed with emotion thought. _If that boy really did rob you, why isn't he running away now that he's got the chance…?_

"Um…er…" the stranger stammered. He suddenly seemed to find his feet and the surrounding cobblestones very interesting. " I…was walking along and saw this boy, and he looked suspicious…so…I apprehended him?"

Said boy tried and failed to stop a snigger from coming out.

"Uh-huh," Ienzo said, handing the munny over to Even and leveling the stranger with the full force of his one-eyed glare. "That sounds just a little too convenient to me. I think you were planning to use this boy here to rob us, so you could return the munny later and hopefully win Even's affections. You've made it quite obvious, after all, that you are attracted to him."

The man didn't say anything. His mouth opened and closed a few times, as if he wanted to say something, but no words could came out. However, the shocked expression on his face told the two apprentices all they needed to know.

The teenage boy was now staring at Ienzo with open-mouthed awe. "You're really smart!" He exclaimed. "I told Lumaria his plan wouldn't work, but I never thought you guys would figure it out so quickly."

"Thanks," said Ienzo with a grin. "We aren't apprenticed to Ansem the Wise for nothing, I guess."

While the teen gushed all over again at this new bit of information, Even and Lumaria eyed each other in shock.

"You're _Lumaria_?" Even cried. "_The_ Lumaria? Son of the Duke of the Rose Order?"

"Yes," said Lumaria, "but you never told me you were one of the apprentices of Ansem the Wise!"

"Well, it's hardly something I go about advertising!"

"I don't go around spouting that I'm a Duke's son, either! I'd be setting myself up to be assassinated or mugged!"

"Right, since you weren't using your power to manipulate some poor boy into picking my pocket anyway," Even muttered, rolling his eyes at Lumaria.

"Actually, I'm Lumaria's friend," the sandy haired teen broke in. "He doesn't have a lot of friends, being stuck-up royalty and all…"

"_Thank you_, Myde," Lumaria grumbled. Unfortunately for him, the sitar player continued.

"…So when I noticed him hanging around the fountains where I play my sitar a couple days in a row, I started to say hi and talk to him a little bit. Turns out he likes my music, and we started talking more and became friends." Myde beamed. "I didn't mind helping him out. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was a stupid plan and all, but that's what friends do-"

_"Thank you, Myde."_

Seeing the furious look on Lumaria's face, Myde wisely shut up.

"Hey Even," Ienzo piped up. "Do you mind if Myde and I go get some sea salt ice cream and then pick up some food for dinner tonight?"

Even started to refuse, but upon seeing the hopeful look in Ienzo's eye, he thought better of it. The boy was shut up in the castle doing research most of the time, and his closest friend was Aeleus, who could go whole days without saying a single word. It would probably do him some good to be around people nearer to his own age, ones who weren't academics.

The blond apprentice sighed. "Go on. But be careful, and be back before dark!" He yelled after Ienzo, who was already running off with Myde. Sometimes Even wished Ienzo wasn't Ansem's favorite. Being young and cute, he tended to get spoiled and overprotected a lot.

"You," Even said, turning back to Lumaria, "can go away now. I have no time for self-centered royalty." He plunked the munny pouch down on the glassblower's counter. "Take all of it. I'm too tired to haggle right now."

Positively beaming, the glassblower handed a pile of neatly wrapped packages over to Even, who tucked them all neatly under his arms after making sure that everything was in order. Grumbling to himself, the apprentice headed back to the castle, thinking of all the royals he'd seen coming and going to visit Ansem the Wise. They'd all been ridiculously overdressed like Lumaria, and they'd all been so stuck up and full of themselves he couldn't fathom how they found the castle door past their own egos. Of course Lumaria had been royalty; it completely explained his outrageous behavior. Even couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it sooner.

He hadn't gone ten more paces before he ran into none other than Lumaria himself, wearing an expression part anger, part regret, and part something Even didn't recognize. He held out a glass flower.

"Take it," Lumaria muttered.

"I…I can't possibly accept…" But yet Even's fingers had already closed around it.

Lumaria smiled. "I knew you liked it. I can tell when people are attracted to something, especially when it's related to plants. Don't think I'm that easily fooled, Even."

Even had meant to say "thank you," and then continue on his way to the castle. He really had. But instead, he found himself leaning forward and pressing his lips to Lumaira's in a chaste, sweet kiss-his first ever. Even had always put more importance in science than courting others, but there was something about Lumaira that made him impossible to ignore.

Lumaira's eyes nearly popped out of his head with surprise, and Even pulled away, blushing madly. "I'm…I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me…" he stammered, but Lumaira merely smiled and pulled him in for another kiss.

Even was cute when he was flustered, Lumaira decided.

"Might I visit you at the castle sometime?" Lumaria asked, grinning at Even's dazed expression and the blush covering his pale cheeks.

The scientist nodded. "In the morning," he whispered. Although his brain was still reeling from what had just happened, he still knew he'd never be able to live it down if Braig and Dilan got wind of Lumaria. At least if Lumaira came early they'd be less likely to see him.

"Great." Lumaria lightly squeezed his hand as he headed away down one of the larger paths out of the town square. "I have to get back home now. Mother and Father will be wondering where I am. I'll see you soon."

Even stood watching him go until he rounded a corner and the afternoon sunlight could no longer reflect off the waves in his pink hair. The apprentice brought a hand up to gently touch his lips and smiled slightly.

Perhaps the marketplace wasn't so bad after all.

**Author's Note:**** And it's finally done! This thing was a bitch to write; I was working on it for weeks and was starting to worry it would never get finished.**

**I think this may be the longest one-shot I've ever written. Microsoft Word says it's fifteen pages, not counting this Author's Note here. O.O**

**If you're wondering why this is AR, it's because I really don't think any of the Organization members aside from the Original Six were on Radiant Garden. I could be wrong, but it seems unlikely to me is all. Also, I doubt Marluxia and Demyx were ever friends at any point. They're just too different. But hey, it works in the story, so who am I to complain, right?**

**Krystal, I hope you enjoyed the bit of Ienzo/Myde in here. And again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY! XD (Even though your birthday was three weeks ago now…^^'')**

**If you got this far…please leave a review?**

**~LWD~**


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